Threat to own father: 'I'll cut you into little pieces'

A MAN who threatened to "cut his father into little pieces" has been told his bi-polar mental condition will not excuse his conduct if he chooses not to take his medication.

The man, 31, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in Gympie Magistrates Court this morning charged with two counts of breaching a domestic violence order taken out by his father.

He appeared by video link from jail, where he will remain for another fortnight before being released on parole.

In one case, the breach occurred only two days after the order was taken out on November 23, and the other occurred only five days after that, the court was told.

The unemployed man pleaded guilty to the charges and did not contest police submissions that he had told his father on November 25: "I'll cut you into little pieces and throw them around the yard. There'll be blood everywhere."

He later attributed his behaviour to "the sort of frame of mind I'm in".

Magistrate M Baldwin told the man he was fortunate to live in the society we now have rather than 100 years ago when such mental conditions were not identified.

"We've got to break down this stigma," she said of people's reluctance to admit to mental illness or to take medication for it.

"It's no different to having kidney problems or heart problems and having to take tablets," she said.

She told the man he had chosen not to take his medication, "and you run the risk of prison for what you've done".

"If your medication doesn't work for you, see your doctor, because there are others.

"Your father has supported you and yet you threatened him with violence, in a way he knew you were capable of carrying out, having been sentenced to two years and nine months jail for violence and wounding."

She sentenced the man to three months jail suspended for two years, on the first offence, saying she had to send a message to him and others that breaching domestic violence orders was an offence that would be punished by jail.

"We don't want it any more," she said, telling him the law provided for up to three years jail for a first offence.

For the second offence, she sentenced him to six months jail with parole from February 5.